The Queen's Ransom
by dragoncymru
Summary: The Doctor and Amy arrive on 'The Solar Queen', a fabulous casino and resort in space. But why is the station empty apart from malfunctioning clockwork 'droids? They must soon gamble with their lives in another thrilling 'TARDIS Adventure'
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

The tavern was the sort of place that had existed almost since the dawn of the first civilization - dark, smoky, and filled with muttered conversation and raucous laughter. The fact that this particular tavern was located in a hollowed-out asteroid in the 52nd century made little difference - alcohol was alcohol, and wherever it was served there were inevitably life-forms partaking of it.

Gathered around one of the tavern's back tables were four of these life-forms - two humans, a golden-skinned Gynoid and a hulking Malafac with thick, scaly hide and hands the size of small boulders. None of them knew the others except by reputation and, depending upon the circles one travelled in, those reputations were either very good... or very bad. Every single person at the table was an expert in their chosen field.

That is to say, all were thieves.

A stocky, dark-haired human emerged from the tavern and took a seat at the head of the table. "Who the hell are you?" asked Thiel, a dozen bits of metal that were embedded in flesh of his arm and face glinting in the dim glow.

"I'm the one who brought you here," the stocky man rumbled in a gravelly voice. "Call me Kayn."

"Big job?" Agrax the Malafac asked in a voice so deep the table trembled. That was about as verbose as his species ever got.

"Big enough for us all to retire - a 'Queen's ransom', so to speak," Kayn replied, and everyone leaned forward just a little.

"A big crew, too. A five-way split hardly seems worth it," Thiel said, playing it cool.

"Even split five ways, your share of the take will be more than you could spend in ten lifetimes," grinned Kayn. He knew Thiel's reputation too well to be fooled by his show of calm. The cyborg was already in, no doubt about it.

The Gynoid, Tassia, spoke in a perfect mimicry of a woman's voice, ignoring Thiel's look of distrust. "How big is the take?"

"Half a billion Universal Credits - unbonded," replied Kayn, and suddenly everyone's attention was fixed on him. Just as he had intended, every one of them was hooked. "No security to bypass, no gene-locks to break before we can spend it, no fences, no middlemen. Half a billion, split between just us. A 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity that I don't intend to waste."

The final member of his chosen crew, a black-haired woman called Maya, spoke at last. "So where's the job, exactly?"

Kayn smiled. "The Solar Queen."

**1.**

"I still can't believe it's bigger on the inside," said Amy Price as she gazed up at the console room of the TARDIS. She was lying on the wide seat a few feet from the console, trying to wrap her head around the impossible nature of this fantastic vehicle.

The Doctor was working his way around the console, adjusting a dozen controls. "Really?" he said innocently. "I hadn't noticed." He walked over to her and was rewarded with a playful punch to his arm. "Oy, what was that for?"

"Look, this may all be normal for you," said Amy, "but I'm still getting used to the idea of gallivanting about the universe in a Police Box!"

"Fair enough," smiled the Doctor. "Speaking of travelling, any thoughts on what you'd like to see next? The Shimmering Springs of Celastrus, perhaps? Or how about the Pinnacle of Ice?" He snapped his fingers and grinned. "Ooh, that's it! The - "

"I thought you said we were going someplace fun," Amy said. "As in 'designed to be fun'. Come on, there's got to be pleasure planets or something in the future..."

"Well, I do know of a few..." the Doctor said, adjusting the controls, "and I think I've just the place -suns, sand, and shows. Everything and anything you could want - all under one roof."

"Sounds perfect!" grinned Amy.

"Then hold on!" he replied, and threw the lever that sent the TARDIS spiralling down a new path through the Time Vortex.

* * * * *

After a few minutes the centre column came to a halt and the engines went quiet. "So - ready to see the future?" the Doctor grinned.

But Amy had already rushed past him and was opening the doors. "Are you?" she called back over her shoulder as she strode outside.

The Doctor sighed. "I wish they all wouldn't go rushing off like that..." Then he grabbed his coat and followed her.

The TARDIS had landed on a pristine stretch of beach, its white sand untouched except for the regularly-spaced lounge chairs and wide umbrellas that gently curved away to the right and vanished in the distance. The bright blue ocean gently lapped at the shore while the occasional seagull flew overhead.

"It's beautiful!" gasped Amy.

"Of course," the Doctor replied. "Best beach money can buy. But no amount of money could pay for that."

He pointed up at the sky. Amy looked up and took a breath. What she had assumed to be a blue, cloudless sky was actually filled with strands of roiling blue plasma and a dozen stars, all brilliant against the backdrop of deep space and separated from the beach by a titanic dome. "What... what is it?" she breathed.

"The Talmaron Cluster - a dozen proto-stars floating in the plasma field that birthed them millions of years ago," the Doctor said. "One of the seven hundred 'Wonders of the Universe' - well, six hundred and ninety-nine, anyway." He grinned at his companion. "Amy, welcome to the 'Solar Queen!' "

**2.**

"Welcome to the 'Solar Queen'!" Kayn said as the sleek starship dropped out of hyperspace. They approached the massive pleasure station that hung in space before them, glittering like a jewel even against the spectacular backdrop of the Talmaron Cluster. "Maya, what's our status?"

At the ship's controls, Maya checked a readout. "No sign of detection. We might as well be a shadow."

"Good, very good," Kayn nodded as he turned to the cramped rear cabin where the rest of his crew were ensuring their gear was in order. Tassia sat serenely in one corner, her face an expressionless mask of faux humanity. All she required for the job was housed beneath her fibrecoil body plates.

In stark contrast, Agrax had his feet propped up on the two massive crates needed for his part of the heist. Their contents were relatively simple devices, but extremely powerful.

Thiel was checking his gear - a battle harness with grenades, scanners, jammers, and a squat, wide-bore energy weapon. He looked up at Kayn. "Okay, boss, tell us somethin' - how'd you find out about this 'opportunity'?"

"Trade secret," Kayn replied, allowing himself a small smile. "Okay, people, gather round. Here's the plan-"

"Again?" grumbled Thiel. "We've been over the plan a dozen times already."

"Then shut up for once and just listen as we go over it again," Kayn snapped. "You're all going to know the plan backwards, forwards and sideways. No mistakes."

Maya had by now locked the ship on a course to dock with the station and came to stand at Kayn's side.

Kayn pulled out a datasheet from his pocket and pulled up a schematic of the 'Solar Queen' before pointing to part of it. "We dock here - a service airlock on the maintenance levels. Minimal security - should be no problem for you, Tassia." He dragged a thick finger across the display, tracing their path. "Thiel will take the lead through the maintenance levels, just in case any androids get wise to our presence."

The cyborg smirked. "No worries - I can handle any trouble that comes our way."

"Once we reach the recreation hub," Kayn continued, "the quickest path is straight through the casino dome and right into the core. That's where we need Agrax and his equipment - the core might be heavily shielded, but I don't think that will make any difference with what he's brought along."

Agrax tried to smile, revealing crooked fangs the size of thumbs.

"Once we reach the Vault... well, Maya, that's where you come in," Kayn said.

"I'll be ready," she replied. "What about witnesses?"

"Tassia will wipe the system of our presence. And thanks to the timing, there won't be any organics aboard to witness anything. We'll have the run of the place."

A heavy thump reverberated through the ship as it made contact with the hull of the 'Solar Queen'. "Grab your gear, people," Kayn smiled. "We've got a robbery to do!"

**3.**

"So it's a space station?" Amy said, still looking at the dome which arced over the beach.

"Well, more of a city, actually," the Doctor replied. "It's a lot like Las Vegas - full of glitz and glamour and determined to take your money. Still, there are ways around that." He looked up and down the beach. "Just need to find a terminal..."

Amy finally brought her gaze back down to the beach. Each of the lounge chairs and its umbrella was the same distance apart, hundreds of them stretching into the distance. And every single one within sight was empty. "Doctor, doesn't this seem a bit... odd?"

"Odd? How so?" he replied, spying a gleaming golden pedestal that glinted in the light of the dozen small suns above.

"That there's nobody here, not a single person," she said. "You'd think there'd be somebody around…"

"Could be in the casino, or the restaurants, or the shops - I'll just bet they've got the best shops in a place like this," grinned the Doctor. "The brochures say there's 'a million and one things to do.' "

"Haven't you ever been here before?"

"Thought about it once, long time ago," the Doctor said as they started walking toward the golden pedestal, leaving two sets of footprints behind them in the sand. "But it's a big universe. I haven't even seen most of the six hundred and ninety-eight other wonders yet..."

After they trudged through the soft sand for a few minutes, they finally reached the golden pedestal. Amy saw there was a keypad set into the polished top surface, along with a small glowing dome which emitted faint clicking sounds as it pulsed. "Now let's see what's happening today," said the Doctor and touched the keypad. The dome flashed and a flickering hologram appeared in the air above, but instead of the long list of diversions the Doctor was expecting, there was only a flashing red warning.

"The 'Solar Queen' is currently closed for repair and decontamination," read Amy. "'We apologize for any inconvenience. We will reopen for your pleasure in two days." She looked at the Doctor and folded her arms. "Closed? You've got great timing, Doctor!"

"Nonsense! Does this beach look closed? Just think of it as the off season." The Doctor tapped a few buttons, but the warning stubbornly refused to fade. Finally the Doctor gave the pedestal a good thump with his fist and a list of the station's facilities appeared - some in green, a few flashing red, but most a steady yellow. "Just avoid the red ones and enjoy the green."

"And the yellow ones?"

The Doctor grinned. "Enter at your own risk, looks like."

"Aren't we going to get in trouble if we stick around?" Amy hissed. "What kind of security have they got in the future?"

"Don't worry," the Doctor grinned. "I know exactly what to expect. We'll be fine."

**4.**

Amy looked over the list of available entertainments. "Casino... clubs... 3D interactive adventures..." She paused. "If the place is closed, why are they still up and running? Who's in charge of this place?"

"Nobody - well, nobody alive, technically speaking," the Doctor said, fishing his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "It's all automated. Must be the reason for the shutdown - the automatic systems aren't functioning properly, not even simple things like this terminal."

"Is that dangerous?" asked Amy. "You know, rampaging robot hordes or something?"

"You've seen too many movies," the Doctor scoffed. He aimed his sonic screwdriver at the small dome and thumbed the switch. "Well, since nobody's watching, there's something we could use..." The device emitted a high-pitched warble, and a second later the pedestal happily chattered a series of beeps and disgorged a pair of finger-sized translucent plastic chips.

The Doctor took one and gestured for Amy to take the other. "Thanks... what is it?" she asked, examining it.

"Universal Credit chip; bonded to your DNA. Only you can spend it," the Doctor replied, rubbing his hands together and pressing buttons. "Now let's find something to spend it on, shall we?"

Amy pocketed the chip and turned back to the rolling waves. "You said there were shops? I could really use a bikini..." Then she tugged on the Doctor's arm. "You said we were alone?"

"That's what the sign says," the Doctor replied, still scanning through the menu.

"Then who's that?"

The Doctor turned and saw what Amy was pointing at - a figure far out in the water, flailing wildly as the waves threatened to pull him down. Both the Doctor and Amy ran toward the water, but while Amy shed her denim jacket and dove into the crystal-clear surf, the Doctor turned around and hurried back to the pedestal.

Amy cut through the water with easy strokes and quickly covered the distance to the drowning man. The distance was greater than she thought - this place was indeed massive - but she still had plenty of strength left by the time she got close to him. "Don't panic! I'm here!" she called out.

It was only now that Amy was next to the man that she realized it wasn't a man at all, but some kind of robot. With a mental shrug, Amy got her arm around the flailing robot and tried to drag it back toward the shore, but its housing had filled with water and it was far heavier than it looked. "Doctor!" she cried as the robot threatened to break her grip. "Help me with this thing!"

"Got it!" the Doctor called back, and a moment later the ocean around them vanished in a square trough. Amy and the robot fell to the bottom, supported by an invisible barrier which held the water back. She coughed and spluttered as the Doctor ran up to them. "Are you okay?" he said, kneeling down.

"Yeah, fine." Amy looked at the robot more closely. Of all the things she had expected to see, this was the last - the thing was dressed like a croupier, in white shirt and black tie and dark vest. Instead of a gleaming metal face, the robot had only a clear plastic skull that housed what looked like an intricate brass machine of cogs and wheels.

"It's a clockwork robot!"

**5.**

As soon as the starship docked, Kayn and his crew of thieves were ready.

Tassia slid open the ship's wide hatch to reveal one of the hundreds of service airlocks that dotted exterior of the 'Solar Queen'. She prised off a panel next to the airlock and then removed the outer casing of one of her fingers, exposing the omnijack beneath. She reached into the now-exposed workings of the airlock, found a dataport, and then slid the jack into place. "I'm in," she said as she accessed the airlock's tiny computer brain, concentrating as she ran through thousands of possible override codes in less than a second.

After a moment the hatch retracted, exposing the seldom-used airlock interior. Immediately Thiel stepped through, brandishing a wide-bore energy weapon. Kayn and Maya followed, while Agrax lugged his crates along. Coming last was Tassia, who closed the outer hatch behind them.

Thiel covered the corridor as the thieves exited the airlock. The only light was the occasional safety lamp set into the ceiling for the service crews.

Thiel was from a region of the galaxy that was at war with a robotic army bent on driving humanity from their colonies, so he had learned many ways to combat robots of every type. That was the reason he wielded a heavy ion blaster - it was capable of frying the control circuits of even the most heavily shielded combat robots. Kayn had chosen him because of his aptitude in destroying robots - and the sheer pleasure he took in it. And he knew that Thiel's greed would keep him from confronting Tassia.

But as they proceeded deeper into the bowels of the 'Solar Queen', it became clear the clockwork robots wouldn't pose a threat. After only a few hundred meters the thieves had already passed dozens of them – all immobile and still dressed in garish uniforms. The smaller service bots, not even remotely humanoid-looking, had fared no better. Occasionally they came across one that had not shut down completely, and Thiel laughed as he blasted each one to bits.

After several hundred more metres, they reached a large cargo lift and stepped onto the platform. Agrax set down his crates, cracked his knuckles and groaned - even his strength had limits, especially lugging around over a ton of gear. Tassia jacked in and the lift unhappily obeyed her command, its motors groaning as it took them up toward the recreation hub.

Maya and Kayn stood at the rear of the group. "Been a long time, Torin," she said quietly.

Kayn nodded, noting her use of his first name – the name she had used so long before. "Too long."

"No... not long enough - you should have stayed away."

Kayn reached out to touch her shoulder but she pulled aside. She had every reason to mistrust him, especially now. But he had no choice - he needed her for the job. They were so close he could taste it...

**6.**

Amy brushed the wet strands of hair from her face. "What happened to the water?"

"Safety system," the Doctor explained. "Force fields to keep people from drowning. It should have activated automatically, even for our friend here." He looked at the twitching robot as the water seeped from its body. "Help me get it back to shore." He hooked one arm under the robot and pulled it into a sitting position.

"It's a clockwork robot," Amy said as they carried the robot back to the beach. With each step it became easier - the water drained from it quickly. Soon they were safely on the sand, and a moment later the trough vanished and water crashed back into the empty space. "How the hell do you make a clockwork robot?"

"Technically it's an android - made to appear humanoid," the Doctor explained. They stood the robot up and the Doctor examined it closely, pulling off the casing that served as its face. "And it's not your typical clockwork - these are nanogears. Think of them like fractals - each gear has tiny little replicas of itself covering its surface, again and again, all the way down to the molecular scale. Each time one moves it opens or closes a circuit. Put billions of circuits together - "

" - and you've got a clockwork robot - er, android. Bizarre," Amy said. "But how'd it wind up all the way out there? It certainly can't swim."

"It's malfunctioning," the Doctor said, running his sonic screwdriver over the workings. "Isotopic degradation of the cognizance gear train."

"And for those of us who don't speak techno-geek?" Amy sighed.

"The android's brain is breaking down from some kind of radiation exposure. Probably from that," the Doctor replied, pointing up at the Talmaron Cluster. "Nanogears are notoriously sensitive to radiation."

"Can you fix it?"

"Not permanently - it needs replacement parts. But I can get it moving for a bit..." The Doctor's eyes widened in realisation. "Of course! That's the reason for the shutdown - the androids are all being fitted with new gears. Can't have them breaking down in front of the paying customers, can you?" He switched on the sonic screwdriver for a moment, and the android began walking forward. "Let's get you to a repair bay."

They led the android back toward the golden pedestal, where the Doctor pressed a few buttons and smacked it with his fist again. Suddenly a large hatch swung open from beneath the sand, revealing a set of stairs leading down. They descended into a wide corridor fitted with heavy wood mouldings and gold filigree. Not something, Amy thought ruefully, one would expect to find beneath a tropical beach.

The Doctor found a display and brought up a map of the 'Solar Queen'. "We're here on the edge of the recreation hub... the service decks are below... so the nearest lift is - "

"Right over there," Amy said, pointing toward a nearby set of wide doors.

The Doctor looked up and did his best to ignore Amy's stifled giggling. "Right," he said as he walked up and pressed the call switch. "Let's just send this fellow back to his peers, shall we?"

Then the doors slid open to reveal a group of rough looking humans and aliens.


	2. Chapter 2

**7.**

Kayn didn't like surprises. They tended to complicate what should be simple plans. And that meant they tended to get messy, especially with the crew he had assembled for this particular job. So when the lift doors parted to reveal the tall man and the girl standing beside one of the 'Solar Queen's' thousand clockwork croupiers in their ridiculous old-fashioned tuxedoes, Kayn was both surprised and angry.

The tall man's reaction certainly didn't help. He just gave a wide smile. "Hello, I'm the Doctor - "

Thiel rushed out, his ion blaster pointed at the Doctor and Amy. "Don't move," he growled. "Down on your knees!"

The Doctor's smile faded as he and Amy complied with the armed man. "Right, I suppose you're not the welcome committee, are you?"

Kayn stepped out of the lift and glowered at the Doctor. "Search them," he said as Maya walked up beside him.

Maya crouched down and, without even looking, slid her hand into one of the Doctor's coat pockets and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Some kind of sonic probe - very advanced."

"What about her?" Kayn said, pointing to Amy.

Maya put the sonic screwdriver in her tunic before searching Amy. "She's clean - harmless."

"I'll show you harmless," Amy muttered. Then she felt the cold muzzle of Thiel's blaster touch the back of her neck and gulped.

"Quiet now, girlie," Thiel said with an unpleasant grin, and Amy felt a sudden chill run through her. His voice sounded just like her ex-boyfriend Alex...

Kayn looked down at the Doctor. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"I'm the Doctor, this is Amy... and I could ask you the same," the Doctor replied. "Station's shut down for maintenance. Not exactly the ideal time for a holiday is it?"

"I like the off season," Kayn replied sarcastically, "nice and quiet. And here you are, spoiling it for us."

"Yep, that's me. Wrong place, wrong time," the Doctor said, his grin returning - until Thiel shoved the muzzle of his blaster against his back.

"What do you want to do with 'em?" Thiel asked Kayn.

"We could space them - plenty of airlocks and no prying eyes," Tassia said, her artificial brain taking the most logical route to ensure both her continued freedom and the job's success.

Maya shook her head. "That's not what I signed on for."

"There was always the risk of running into someone who wasn't an android," Kayn replied. "And this is too big to leave any loose ends."

"Then let's compromise." said Maya. "Lock one up and take the other with us. Any trouble and we show them both just how serious we are. Once we're finished, we leave them both tied up somewhere for the crew to find when they return." She pointed at Amy. "I say we bring her along and find a nice secure spot for her friend."

Kayn looked at Maya and smirked. "That's what I like about you Maya - always thinking." He turned to Tassia. "Where's the closest airlock?"

**8.**

This was not good, and the Doctor knew it.

Armies he could predict - Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, and a thousand other species bent on conquest, all of their strategies could be anticipated. They operated on structure and discipline.

Thieves, on the other hand, were difficult to anticipate. While all too often his enemies had overlooked his sonic screwdriver - or thought it unworthy of taking from him - these thieves had confiscated it straight away. That made whatever he was going to do far more difficult - as did being shoved into an airlock that now had three emergency spacesuits without helmets. Thiel smiled as he shattered their faceplates with his cybernetic hand and dropped them to the floor.

Kayn looked at the Doctor as the inner hatch started to close. "Be a good boy and there won't be any unnecessary bloodshed, Doctor," he said. "Am I clear?"

"Perfectly," replied the Doctor, his voice like ice. He looked at Amy as she tried not to let her fear take over. "And let me be equally clear - harm Amy in any way and there won't be any place you can hide from me."

Then the hatch locked into position and the Doctor was sealed inside the airlock.

He heard footsteps as the thieves led Amy away. After a moment, he ran his fingers along the perimeter of the hatch but there was no gap. "Of course not, it's an airlock," he muttered. "It'd be silly if there was." He turned and looked at the sterile white interior of the seldom-used airlock. Along the right-hand wall were the three spacesuits, standard one-size-fits-all emergency gear, but useless without their helmets. On the opposite wall was a small locker. And then there was the outer hatch, the only thing standing between him and exposure to hard vacuum.

He opened the locker and rifled through its contents. There was an emergency sealkit for temporary repair of tiny hull breaches, various tools designed for more thorough repairs and an emergency beacon in case one slipped off the hull and started drifting into space. Nothing much that would help him get out of the airlock, though.

The Doctor grabbed the kit and went over to the airlock control panel. It was easy enough to pry the cover off, but without his sonic screwdriver manipulating the circuitry beneath would be challenging at best. He carefully used the tip of a regular screwdriver to prod at the circuits, one by one until the lights flickered. "Ah! That's the one..." he grinned. He pushed harder until the panel sparked.

Immediately the lights died and the airlock suddenly went silent. "Oh, no, no, no..." he said. That silence meant the air pumps had died - and that when whatever oxygen remained in the airlock ran out, he would asphyxiate.

He gritted his teeth and touched the circuitry with his fingers, trying to feel for the broken leads in the darkness. If he could reconnect them, at least get the lights back on...

There was another spark and the Doctor yanked his hand back. A second later, rotating red lights began flashing, and the Doctor's blood ran cold.

Those lights signalled the imminent opening of the airlock's outer hatch.

**9.**

As soon as the airlock hatch closed Kayn turned to Amy. "Same goes for you, girlie - any trouble and Tassia here pops the outer hatch by remote and sends your friend on a very long, very cold, tour of deep space. Clear?"

Amy nodded, her muscles tensing reflexively. She focused on her breathing until her hammering heartbeat began to slow and her panic faded a bit. If she fought back the thieves would kill her and the Doctor - so there was no point in making unnecessary trouble.

Not yet, anyway.

"Good," Kayn said. "Thiel, keep an eye on her. Let's move, people."

Thiel raised his blaster and the group set off down the corridor toward a wide stretch of flat wall. Amy looked at the motley crew of thieves, trying to wrap her head around the variety - Tassia the gynoid, Agrax the... whatever he - or it - was. There were also Kayn and Maya, who looked human enough but who could tell what lay under the skin.

And then there was Thiel, her escort...

Amy grimaced at the thought. He seemed so much like Alex - the arrogant swagger, the half-smile that made people think he knew more than they did even when he didn't. Even his stubble looked the same. Maybe he was a descendent...

Amy pushed the thought from her mind as they reached the stretch of wall and Thiel reached an arm right through as if it were not even there. The wall rippled and flexed but, when Amy reached out to touch it, it parted around her fingers like a curtain of water.

Thiel laughed and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, girlie? Never seen a holo-curtain before?"

She flinched at his touch. "No."

"What backwater colony are you from? Everyone's seen holo-curtains. Tell you what - why don't I show you a real planet after this is all over." He smiled. "Someplace civilized."

"I'd rather be dead," Amy said flatly. She supposed most women found that smile wickedly charming. If not for Alex and his infidelity, she no doubt would have too. But she knew better, even if her parents didn't have a clue.

Thiel's grin never changed. "That can be arranged."

"What's the holdup?" Kayn said from behind them, his voice low with barely-contained anger.

"Nothin', boss," Thiel replied. "Just gettin' to know our new friend."

"Get to know her on the move." Kayn said, and shoved Amy through the holo-curtain.

**10.**

"Oh, no..."

The Doctor watched as the lights flashed and the outer airlock door prepared to open. Pumps whirred to life and began sucking the atmosphere from the airlock to balance the pressure with that outside the 'Solar Queen'. But long before that, he knew he would pass out from lack of oxygen.

He reached into the panel and tore at the circuitry with his fingers, trying to short-circuit the door mechanism, either to stop the outer hatch from opening or to open the inner hatch and escape back into the station. Electricity scorched his fingers but he kept trying, even as his lungs began to burn and the cold of deep space began to seep into his flesh...

A bright blue flash came from the panel and the airlock went black again. The Doctor fell back and blew on the blistered tips of his fingers, wondering how he had managed to trip the correct circuit. Then the inner hatch slid aside to reveal a clockwork android clad in a damp tuxedo. "Doctor - broken?" it said, its hand still on the hatch control.

The Doctor grinned. "No, Doctor functional. Doctor very functional, thanks to you." He clambered to his feet and leapt out of the airlock as fast as he could, looking up and down the wide corridor.

There was no sign of the thieves - or Amy. "Which way did they go?" he asked the android.

"Unknown," it replied. "No patrons present when this unit reactivated."

"No, of course not..." the Doctor said as he trotted over to an access terminal mounted in the wall. He tapped quickly at the keys but it took time to bypass the various security locks, especially without his sonic screwdriver. It was several minutes before he managed to access the security feed, and by the time he filtered through the thousands of flickering video streams and found the group of thieves they had already made their way halfway across the vast casino floor.

There was no way he could sneak up on them in there.

"Then I'll just have to meet you along the way to wherever you're going," the Doctor muttered, bringing up a schematic of the Solar Queen's core.

In a matter of moments he had what he needed. "Come on, then," he said to the clockwork android. "Never know when I might need a hand."

"Destination?" the android asked.

The Doctor smiled coldly. "The Vault."

**11.**

Amy emerged into a cavernous space filled with row after row of game tables and gambling machines, the 52nd century equivalent of slot machines, she supposed. Dozens of clockwork androids dressed in tuxedoes and cocktail dresses and overalls stood at their assigned places. Some of them were even running their games for nobody, chattering away to imagined gamblers. Broken androids, Amy thought. No wonder the 'Solar Queen' was closed for maintenance.

A few feet behind her Kayn was talking to Maya. "Are you sure you'll be ready?"

"Why don't you worry about your crew?" Maya snapped, "the ones who actually want to be here."

"You know I had no choice - this was too big a chance to pass up," Kayn replied. "And you're the only one who can pull it off."

"I should be flattered, right?" Maya said. "Well I'm anything but. I like the life I made after we last met - a plain, ordinary life where no laws get broken and nobody points guns at me."

"When the job's done you're welcome to go back to it," Kayn said. "I won't stop you."

Maya barked a harsh laugh. "You tracked me down and blackmailed me into helping you. You probably left a trail a kilometre wide. Even if I get a whole new face, a whole new identity... that life is over. You took it from me. And I'll never forgive you for that." Maya looked into his eyes. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you. Remember that."

Kayn turned and saw Amy looking at him. "Something to say, girlie?" he said.

Amy shook her head. There were any number of throws she could potentially use to bring him down, any number of locks she could apply to immobilize him, any number of chokes that could incapacitate him. But even as the thought formed she knew it would be futile - she might hold a black belt in judo, but the thieves would kill the Doctor without a second thought if she tried anything.

Except, perhaps for Maya...

The group passed through a flickering holo-curtain and into another austere corridor - a stark contrast to the gaudy decorations of the casino floor. There were several heavy doors along its length, but all were dwarfed by the massive blast door at the far end.

Thiel smiled. "Almost there." He looked back at Amy and gave a savage grin. "Don't worry, girlie. You'll see your friend soon enough."

The words sent a chill through Amy's bones as she realised what the cyborg had clearly meant. Neither she nor the Doctor would leave the 'Solar Queen' alive.

**12.**

The Doctor and the clockwork android made their way through the service areas hidden behind the casino walls - dark, narrow passages that were rarely, if ever, viewed by living eyes. The Doctor frowned at the thick stench of leaking hydraulic fluid and burned-out circuitry - the station's repairs were long overdue, it seemed.

All the while the android kept up a stuttering monologue, explaining about its function and the various patrons it had served over its existence. The Doctor, occupied with the task of rescuing Amy, only half-listened as he tried to formulate a rescue plan. "So tell me," he said to the android at last, "how widespread are these malfunctions?"

A sound much like the grinding of a manual gearbox came from the android's skull. "Malfunctions affecting all primary systems," it dutifully reported. "Seventy-six percent of all secondary systems affected."

"Not just the robotic units? Basic station functions have been affected as well?" the Doctor asked.

"Affirmative," the android replied.

The Doctor ran through his memories of the thieves - two humans, one cyborg, a Gynoid and a Malafac. There was no way he could take them on as a group, and he knew that if he took any overt actions they would certainly kill Amy.

But with the Solar Queen's systems and robotic crew all malfunctioning... there was very much he could do to the thieves without revealing his presence. If he was careful enough and if he was clever enough...

He grinned as a sudden idea started to form. "Oh yes... I'm quite clever!" he said to nobody in particular.

The android piped up. "How may I help you, Mr Clever?"

The Doctor sighed. This was going to be a frustrating trip through the service levels, but it was quicker keeping the android with him than disassembling it and taking its' integrated access beacon. Besides, the android had never caused any harm - it was just malfunctioning.

However, that made it no less annoying at the moment.

The Doctor accessed a nearby terminal and checked the security feed of the primary access to the station core's lift. The thieves were already at the doors. He grimaced. He needed to get in front of them. "Oi, how do you get to the upper levels of the station?" he asked.

"An-an-an-" the android stuttered, and the Doctor smacked the side of its skull. "Antigravity lifts."

"Of course!" the Doctor grinned. The patrons of the 'Solar Queen' would never be expected to share lift space with the hired help. So the designers had installed a series of antigrav lifts, each one just large enough to accommodate one android. The lifts shot each android like a bullet to wherever it needed to go - far too stressful for organic life to use, but adequate for fibrecoil and nanogears.

Of course, it would take a bit of tweaking to ensure using it would not kill him...

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor said as the android looked at him with its clear, blank faceplate. "Allons-y!"

**13.**

The thieves regarded the blast door as if it were nothing special, but to Amy it was the sort of thing she'd only seen in the movies - six feet wide and tall and probably just as thick. It looked like it could withstand a cannon barrage.

Agrax opened up his massive cases, and Amy knew the cannon had arrived. In a matter of moments the alien had assembled a formidable blaster cannon and its tripod. The cannon had once been mounted on a starship but now served as his favourite weapon - and one he could only use on special occasions.

Naturally, he made those occasions as frequent as possible. Agrax grasped the handles, aimed at the centre of the door, and his mouth split in a feral grin as the room was filled with a flash and thunder the likes of which Amy had never known.

When the roar faded, Amy looked up and saw a wide hole where the blast door had been moments before. Behind was a pair of lift doors - scorched but otherwise undamaged.

"Going up," Thiel smirked as he shoved Amy toward the lift. "Ladies first."

The shove snapped inside of her, and as soon as she reached the back of the lift, Amy whirled around and planted her feet apart. "After you," she snarled. The next time Thiel came near her, she meant to show him that not all weapons were made of metal and fired bolts of energy. Some weapons were flesh and bone.

And in the right hands those weapons were equally deadly.

But her opportunity to use them never surfaced. As Thiel approached her, that menacing smirk still on his face, Maya stepped between them and knocked his blaster aside. "Leave her alone."

"Or what?" Thiel growled, unimpressed.

"Or I'll show you just what I'm capable of - up close and personal," Maya replied, and despite their difference in size, the fire quickly left Thiel's expression. "Am I clear?"

Thiel reluctantly nodded and moved to stand near Amy, looking straight ahead as the rest of the crew filled the lift - mostly Agrax, even without his crates. Kayn pressed a button on a panel and the lift rose through the core.

Amy looked at Maya, who was leaning in the corner. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Maya replied, her eyes closed and her brow creased - in pain or concentration, Amy couldn't tell.

At last the lift came to a halt and the doors parted, revealing a wide, opulent lobby with a single desk. Standing at attention was a single clockwork android. The android shuddered as it turned toward them. "H-how may I be of ass - "

Thiel fired his blaster and reduced the android to a heap of junk."About time I got to use this," he laughed.

Kayn stepped over the remains of the android and behind the desk. He reached down to a concealed switch and with a smooth hum, the back wall slid aside to reveal the Vault.


	3. Chapter 3

**14.**

The Vault was nothing like what Amy had expected - instead of some massive door like the one Agrax had blasted through, there was a short hallway that ended at a wall. There was a circular device set into the wall, maybe four feet in diameter but nowhere near large enough to be the door to a vault. There was a gaping hole in the centre of the device where part of it had been removed. "What is that?" she said, not really expecting an answer.

"The most sophisticated vault in existence," Thiel explained, naked greed in his eyes. "Most expensive one, too, so they say. Not that impressive, is it?"

Kayn looked at Maya. "Time to work your magic," he said, a half-smile on his face.

Maya did not reply - she only walked toward the opening, focusing her thoughts on the task at hand. The reason that the Vault was so sophisticated – and expensive – was that it wasn't actually aboard the 'Solar Queen' but nestled in its own tiny pocket of space-time, cut off from everything else except this one potential opening. And the aperture generator had been removed, just in case. Kayn was right - she was the only thief who could get inside. She had hoped never to do this again, especially not at Kayn's bidding.

Maya reached out and felt her fingertips tingle - yes, it was here. The aperture. There was always a trace, some disturbance she could exploit, even if the proper mechanism had been disabled. She formed her thoughts into a spike and forced it through the infinitesimal gap in space and time, piercing the supposedly impenetrable Vault of the 'Solar Queen' with nothing but the power of her mind.

The gap split and widened - a foot, then three, and finally large enough for a person to walk through. To Amy and the other thieves, there was nothing but a slight ripple in the air - but to Maya it was like looking right at the sun. She staggered backward as the aperture stabilised, her strength sapped by the effort of controlling the power she had.

Kayn caught her and propped her up against the wall. "Good... you did good Maya," he said. "How long will it hold?"

"Long enough - better get moving," Maya said, grimacing.

Kayn nodded. "Thiel - keep watch out here. Tassia, Agrax, you're with me." He grinned, unable to help himself. "Come on, people - there's half a billion waiting for us."

Then he strode into the aperture and vanished from sight.

**15.**

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and hugged the clockwork android, as the antigravity lift shot him toward the top levels of the 'Solar Queen' at an unthinkable velocity.. The thieves would no doubt have already reached the Vault, but with some luck he could keep them from getting inside - or hurting Amy.

But when the lift finally came to a halt he saw that he was too late. Through the transparent door, the Doctor saw the thieves walk into a short hallway and vanish. A few moments later they reappeared, carrying heavy crates which they stacked on a small antigrav cart for easy transport. "A temporal aperture," the Doctor murmured, impressed with the temporal technology. "What better way to make something secure than to cut it off from the rest of space and time?"

But there was no time for admiration. "I need your help," he whispered to the android. "I need a distraction."

"Dis - traction?" the android replied.

"I need you to get their attention, just for a few seconds. Can you do that?"

The android clicked and whirred for a moment. "Affirmative."

The Doctor scribbled something onto a scrap of paper he found in one of his pockets and stuck it into the android's hand, then reached around and opened the lift door. The thieves, their attention on the Vault and its millions, had not noticed him - not yet. But if he could get to the service panel...

The android walked into the room with no thought of self-preservation - an organic had made a request of it, and even though it was not fully functional, it would do its best to carry out that request. On the far side was the human girl who had saved it from the water, sitting quietly. A male human stood guard over her whilst another human female was leant against the wall, her eyes closed. The others were going back and forth from the Vault to the stack of crates.

It was almost halfway to the stack before Thiel even noticed. "Oi, what the hell are you doing here, gearhead?" he snarled, forgetting about Amy as he caught sight of the android. He raised the ion blaster and walked over to it. "Lose your blackjack table?"

"R-r-r-roulette, sir," the android stammered. "Would you like to place your bet?"

"Sure. You can bet on this - you're not going to make it out of here in one piece." Thiel grinned and tightened his finger on the trigger.

But Amy was already moving, and put herself between Thiel and the android. "Leave it alone. It never hurt you."

Thiel grabbed Amy's shirt and pulled her close. "Its kind did. How do you think I ended up with all this metal in me? Robots just like that killed thousands of my people, and tried to kill me." He shoved her to the floor and aimed his blaster at the android's head. "Now I kill as many of them as I can. Just you watch - "

Behind him, Agrax howled and there was a loud bang from the Vault.

**16.**

"Thiel, watch her!" Kayn snapped, pointing at Amy. "Maya, what happened?"

Maya looked up and into the Vault entrance. "The aperture collapsed."

"Then reopen it," he said, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her to her feet.

"I can't - I don't have the strength. It's going to take weeks for me to fully recover," she broke away from him. "The machinery holding it in place must have malfunctioned, just like everything else on this station. He's trapped in there."

Tassia looked at the crates. "We have retrieved four hundred and twenty million Universal Credits. The only logical move is to take what we have and leave Agrax behind."

Thiel grimaced. "I hate to agree with the gearhead but it's right - we've got our full shares right here."

Kayn nodded. "Thiel, you and the girl get the money to the lift. Get the android to help." He went over to Maya and put an arm around her waist to steady her. "Take it easy - hard part's over. All we have to do is get back to the ship."

Thiel pushed Amy over to the antigrav cart. "Never thought four hundred and twenty million credits could be so heavy, did you?" he sneered. "Get pushing; you too, gearhead."

They pushed the cart over to the lift and stepped inside. The lift started to descend. "You're a real prince, you know that?" Amy said. "Leaving your pal behind without a second thought."

"Nature of the business," Thiel shrugged, unconcerned. "Could've happened to any of us."

"I'm sure he'll feel the same when he catches up with you," Amy snapped, looking at the clockwork android beside her. She paused - it couldn't be the same one she had pulled from the water, could it? She looked down and saw the android clutching a scrap of paper. She slowly pulled it from its grasp and then, making sure the thieves attention was elsewhere, unfolded it.

There were just two words scribbled there, but they made her spirits soar:

_Hang on._

* * * * *

The Doctor watched as the lift closed, hiding in the shadows near the access panel that controlled the Vault aperture. One of the thieves had been trapped - but there were four to go, and he had to get ahead of them.

He hurried back to the antigrav lift and then squeezed his eyes shut as it shot him back down through the core, deep into the service levels of the station. He knew their route would take them back through the casino dome and then down to the maintenance decks, where their ship was most likely docked as a service hatch. All he had to do was throw a few roadblocks in their path...

He reached the bottom, opened the door and broke into a run. They had to follow the labyrinth route through the casino, but his path on the subdeck below was much more direct. And he knew exactly what he was heading toward. After several minutes he reached his goal and prised open a panel, examining the nanocircuits beneath. "Yes... easy as pie," he murmured then began rewiring the device.

When the thieves caught up to him they were in for a shock.

**17.**

Amy knew the note could only be from the Doctor - which meant that he had escaped from the airlock without the thieves realising it. He must have also have trapped the big alien, she thought, which meant he not only knew what was happening, he was getting ahead of them.

The principles of judo were simple, and Amy knew them well - how else had she earned a black belt? It was all about taking an opponent's strength and turning it against them to bring them down. But now was not the right moment... but she had to be ready when it came.

So she waited and watched the thieves as the lift dropped back through the core toward the casino dome. Maya was leaning in a corner, her face pale and drawn and her eyes closed. She looked years older, like whatever she had done at the Vault had sucked the very life out of her. "You okay?" Amy asked.

"I'll be fine," Maya replied through clenched teeth. "It's just... been a long time."

"What did you do up there?"

"Just a little trick. Not sure how it happened, some kind of mutation, probably. I can find cracks in the space-time continuum... and exploit them." The corners of her mouth raised in a tired smile. "All I had to do up there was re-open the one that led to the Vault."

"And you use it to steal?"

"Not for a while. He didn't leave me much choice," Maya said, tipping her head at Kayn. "I never wanted this ability. If anyone found out about it, then I'd be locked away, studied... dissected..."

"And don't you forget it," Kayn rumbled, and both women flinched. "One word from me, one snap of my fingers, and I can have a dozen empires and corporations fighting over you like dogs over raw meat. I don't give a damn how it works - I just want to use it to get rich." He walked over to Maya, his breath hot against her cheek. "So don't be talking out of turn... or maybe I'll decide you're not as useful as you used to be."****

The lift came to a sudden halt. "Now start pushing," Kayn ordered. "Sooner we can get off this heap, the better."

Thiel leaned close to Amy, so close she could smell his sweat. "Hear that, girlie? We'll be out of here soon. Don't worry, I'll make sure we get a little time to ourselves before that..."

Amy flinched, trying to control her fear as she and the clockwork android began pushing the antigrav cart, into the casino and trying to get away from the cyborg.

Tassia was led the way through the casino dome while Kayn kept Maya close by, supporting her as they wound their way through the labyrinth of gambling machines and tables with their malfunctioning androids.

Finally they reached the holo-curtain. Tassia stepped into the opening.

But instead of passing through, her body was suddenly wrapped in shimmering blue electric arcs that leapt from the overcharged hologram projectors that ringed the opening. After several seconds the arcing ceased and she fell backward like a statue, her artificial brain the only part of her body still functioning.

But Kayn had no intention of stopping to check on her - he knew splitting the take three ways was better than four. "Leave her! Move, damn you!" he yelled and stepped through the opening.

**18.**

From the sublevel below, the Doctor listened as the holo-curtain overloaded Tassia's body and shorted it out, leaving only her brain intact but trapped in a useless shell. He heard Kayn shouting at them to move, and then started running himself, leaping over the conduits and cables that covered the floor. "Just three left," he muttered as he mapped out their next destination in his mind - the cargo lift that would take them down to the maintenance levels, the one right by the entrance to the beach. As he ran he picked up a few bits and bobs - nothing threatening by themselves, but once properly combined they would be just what he needed.

He found an access panel in the ceiling and swung it open, then poked his head up. He was back in the wide, wood-panelled corridor that led to the casino - exactly where he wanted to be. He crouched down and picked through the components he had grabbed, removing a casing here, stripping a dozen wires there, attaching a power cell to the end. "Oh, yes - just the thing," he said.

All he had to do was get close enough...

From down the corridor the Doctor heard the sound of approaching voices, and he hid behind one of the wide columns that lined the hallway. He watched as Kayn helped Maya toward the cargo lift, followed by the clockwork android and Amy pushing the antigrav cart, and then his target at the rear - Thiel. He waited for the cyborg to pass before stepping out from behind the pillar, the makeshift device clutched in his hand. He ran toward Thiel, his trainers silent on the thick carpeting, the device raised -

But Thiel whirled around and knocked the device away, sending it into the wall where it shattered into a dozen pieces. "Thought you could sneak up on me?" he said as the Doctor froze and raised his hands. "Got this little motion sensor, sort of like eyes in the back of my head. Very handy when someone tries to stab me in the back."

"Yes, well..." shrugged the Doctor as Thiel levelled his ion blaster at his chest, watching as the rest of the group turned to see what was happening. "Not stabbing, really... more like a directed electromagnetic pulse..."

Kayn walked over to the Doctor and Thiel took a step back, trying to keep an eye on Amy and still cover his boss. "How did you get out?" Kayn growled, "You were supposed to be - "  
.

Dead?" the Doctor interrupted. "Yes, that part was closer than I would have liked. At first I thought it was just the station malfunctioning, but the airlocks don't use nanogear components - too touchy, especially in the Talmaron Cluster. Sometimes simpler is better." He levelled his gaze at Kayn. "You shouldn't have tried to kill me."

"What are you going to do about it?" sneered Kayn as he pulled a laser pistol from beneath his jacket and pressed it to the Doctor's chest.

The Doctor smiled and closed his eyes. "Just this."

And the makeshift device Thiel had shattered suddenly flared like the sun.

**19.**

The Doctor ducked as the incandescent flash and thick smoke filled the corridor, trying to circle around to Amy before Kayn and Thiel regained their sight. He knew that the cyborg probably had sensors that would detect any sneak attack, so he had intended for the device to break all along - and he'd have broken it himself if necessary. But Thiel had done just what he had expected, starting the timer of the makeshift flash grenade he had concealed inside. Now two of the three thieves were momentarily blinded.

That just left Maya... but when the Doctor looked toward where she was standing, there was nobody there.

Instead of worrying about her, the Doctor went over to the cart to get Amy, who was covering her eyes with both arms. The clockwork android was still standing there, unfazed. "Amy! Come on, let's go - " he cried, dragging her to her feet.

Then one of the crates exploded into a thousand shards of plastic. The Doctor looked up and saw Thiel staggering toward them, his sizzling ion blaster held in one unsteady hand.

The Doctor stood up, and in that moment Amy realised that he would sacrifice himself to protect her.

As Thiel passed her, Amy leapt up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a traditional choke. Her left hand wrapped around his throat while she hooked her right arm beneath his right elbow and then used her right hand to press forward on the back of his neck, making his gun hand almost useless. She held the choke as Thiel kicked and flailed, his ion blaster tossed aside in desperation. But even his cyborg body was still partly human - and his human brain desperately needed the oxygen from the blood flow that her choke hold was cutting off. After a long moment, his body went limp and she let him fall to the floor.

The Doctor looked at her in wide-eyed shock. "Where'd you learn to do that?" he said.

"Judo class. I'm a black-belt," Amy replied, her heart pounding in her chest. "Didn't I mention that?"

"No, must've slipped your mind," he said, a grin returning to his face. "But it's a very welcome surprise."

The Doctor froze as he heard the sound of a charging laser pistol. "Don't you move, Doctor," ordered Kayn. "I didn't see that coming... but I can see well enough to kill you. And then I'll be off with my four hundred million credits, free and clear - "

But suddenly from behind Kayn, a white-hot blast ripped into him and sent him sprawling to the floor, a six-inch-wide smoking scorch mark on his back. The Doctor looked over and saw Maya standing there, holding Thiel's discarded ion blaster. She swung it toward him and he tensed.

But Amy grabbed his arm. "Let her go, Doctor. It's all right." She looked at Maya. "Go on, get out of here."

Maya dropped the blaster and nodded; a look of tired relief on her face. "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it," Amy replied quietly. "Just go back to that normal life you had and stay there."

"I will." Maya smiled, fished the Doctor's sonic screwdriver from her pocket and let it fall to the floor. Then she turned and fled through the smoke.

The Doctor retrieved his sonic screwdriver and looked at Amy in confusion. "What was all that about?"

Amy looked at Thiel as he lay unconscious on the floor. "I'll tell you later. We'd better get him somewhere safe."

"Well, they've got a seldom-used brig close by..." said the Doctor, "and we've got an antigrav cart..."

Amy smiled even as tears of relief threatened to burst. "Sounds perfect."

**20.**

Amy sat on one of the lounge chairs that lined the beach, watching the waves roll in and out and basking in the light of the dozen tiny stars overhead. She and the Doctor had secured Thiel in the brig and then put Tassia's body in the cell next to him. Agrax was most secure right where he was in the Vault. Then they had left a short, but thorough, note that explained what had taken place - leaving out their own trespassing - placed right on top of the crates they had stacked on the desk. Thiel had made one last effort at charm as they left the brig, promising to split the money with them.

But Amy had just smiled and shut the door, leaving him to rot.

Now she was enjoying a little rest and relaxation. Over the past two days she had won fortunes at the roulette tables - and then lost them again. She had shopped for the 52nd century equivalent of Gucci and Versace; eaten the most divine meal she had ever tasted, even though she could not identify what was actually in it and the chef was a clockwork android. Now she was sunning herself beneath one of the Seven Hundred Wonders of the Universe.

Well, Six Hundred and Ninety-Nine.

She looked over at the Doctor, who was still wearing his brown suit and trainers as he relaxed in the next chair. "You were right - this place does have everything. Sun, sand, and shows."

"Thought you'd enjoy it," the Doctor replied.

A moment later the clockwork android approached, the same one they had pulled from the water two days before but dressed in a fresh, neat uniform. He held a tray with two martini glasses filled with nothing but smoke and said, "Your cocktails Mr Clever."

"Ah, thank you very much." The Docttor took the glasses from the android and handed one to Amy. She looked at him, puzzled, but the Doctor chose not to elaborate. "So Maya wasn't a willing participant after all," he said, raising the glass to his nose and breathing in deeply.

"No, Kayn blackmailed her. She never wanted to be here at all," Amy replied, mimicking the Doctor's actions. Instantly her throat and lungs were filled with the sensation of a freezing mist cascading down, carrying a myriad of chemicals right into her bloodstream. "That's... wow."

"Yeah, isn't it?" he laughed. "Better enjoy it while you can."

"And why's that?" she asked as a shadow fell over the beach. She looked up to see a massive ship blocking out the suns as it docked with the 'Solar Queen'.

He stood up and offered her a hand. "They're about to reopen for business... which means we should be on our way."

"Oh well... it was fun while it lasted," laughed Amy.

A minute later, the TARDIS began to groan and vanished just as the first of the new vacationers stepped onto the 'Solar Queen'.

_**Next Time**__: The Doctor and Amy return to Earth and Tokyo in 2009 in '__**City of Twilight**__._'

**The Queen's Ransom - Confidential**

When dragoncymru and I first began editing each other's stories, I never thought it would result in an invitation to contribute to the TARDIS Adventures. He's worked very hard on every story, writing alone for almost two complete series (or seasons, for the Americans reading this). That's a major investment of time and effort, so when he offered me the chance to write for his series, I was honoured.

Now all I had to do was come up with a good enough idea...

dragoncymru provided many suggestions on the setting - the 'Solar Queen' - but the details of the plot he left to me. I realized that I could not remember a Doctor Who story that had focused on a heist - most of them revolve around some alien invasion, or immensely powerful gadget, or one of the big villain races like the Daleks or the Cybermen - often all at once. I wanted to shake up the formula, make things a bit more personal, so I centred the action around a heist.

Attentive readers will probably note the similarities to 'Die Hard', and you'd be absolutely right. It's an action movie formula that works well when done right, and I can think of nobody more resourceful than the Doctor.

Many details of the plot also changed as I hammered out the story - originally there was an alien infestation aboard that was causing the malfunctions, and those malfunctions would not only impede the Doctor but would have killed off the thieves one by one. That incarnation of the story would have been a horror story, not a heist, so I settled on the malfunctions being caused by radiation instead. There was also a character called Gerren among the thieves originally - he was the cyborg, while Thiel was just a human. But as the tale progressed, there just wasn't enough for him to do and ultimately no point for him to be in the story. So I made Thiel not only a jerk but a cyborg as well, and it turned out okay, I think. (Well, maybe not for him.)

This story was also a good place to explore Amy's character. dragoncymru gave me her background, and I tried to incorporate much of it into the tale - her black belt in judo, her ex-boyfriend Alex that Thiel was so reminiscent of. I think it works, although I had to do a lot of research on judo to get the details down right. The story also features the return of the clockwork androids first seen in the episode 'The Girl in the Fireplace' - they're such a nifty idea that I wanted to expand on their function just a bit and explain how those gears in their heads might work.

I could think of nobody more fitting to play Kayn than the great Ray Winstone - that gravelly voice and 'tough-guy' persona were perfect for the ringleader. As for Maya (on the bottom left of the cover for this episode), I pictured her being played by Masuimi Max. She's a very exotic-looking and expressive model, although the bulk of her work is for... mature audiences. I hope nobody minds.

So, having had the honour of being part of the TARDIS Adventures, I gladly hand the reins back to dragoncymru for the remainder of the series (or season, whichever you prefer). I hope you're ready...


End file.
